RACING

GARMIN NAUTIX IN-VIEW DISPLAY

Back in 2010 one of the many gadgets Jimmy Spithill employed aboard his enormous Cup-winning BMW Oracle trimaran was a sunglasses-mounted heads-up display, a la “Top Gun.” Now this once gee-whiz technology is not. Weighing only slightly more than an ounce, the display attaches to either side of most sunglasses and taps into whatever compatible Garmin electronics you have onboard to provide everything from boatspeed, heading and water depth to time-to-start and the distance to the line. The display can be used with polarized as well as prescription lenses and is both glove- and weather-friendly to allow you to swipe between up to five different data displays. The display arm is also fully adjustable, allowing you to position the tiny screen either above or below your line of sight, so you don’t have to worry about missing, say, that starboard tacker crossing your bow as you approach the windward mark.